8o LITERATURE. 



eternity, when my worship, my regret, my humble remorse, my life of sacrifice, my deep 

 love, shall have redeemed my past, and my terrible meditations shall have dried up in the 

 expanse of the abyss the bed of the river of my mother's tears, when it shall no more exist, 

 but shall all have been absorbed by thee and by me, then thou shalt be the Queen of Infinitude, 

 the Mistress of the Dark, the one who shall sleej) in my arms and dream all the supreme dreams 

 of undisturbetl felicity. Wait," said War, kissing the eyes of Atah, "live, and hope; 

 to-day is pregnant with the birth of to-morrow." 



" I shall hope. I must love, 1 will wait, and like thee do all in my power to redeem the 

 past and drain from its bosom the last tear of thy mother Kari. I would that I had thy 

 strength, thy power ! I would throw my light on all sorrow, soothe all despair, heal all wounds, 

 give love to all, and thus redeem all regrets and drink all the ocean of thy mother's tears, 

 keep them in thy bosom to pour them out of my white breast to all the offspring of thine em- 

 braces, to all the valiant sons that 1 have in my womb ready to l)e called forth by the desire 

 of thy Divinity." 



" Thou art a doiUless," said War. " Redeem, sacrifice thyself, redeem us, redeem all. 

 My mother lives in thee. As I lay on her soft lap milking her white breast, she used to put 

 me to sleep with the same words, and it seems to me that I am still a babe listening with 

 admiration to her sublhne and simple songs. One of them went like this: — 



" Go to s/cfp, my sweet baby, 

 Sleep ami rest on mother's knee ; 

 Thou must do so and nrow styo)ig. 

 Because one dav, and ere long, 

 Thou must go afar hi the deep 

 And pour out love and sympathy. 

 Soothe despair, help misery. 

 Thou hast had of my milk plenty, 

 Be good, my babe, and go to sleep, 

 My sweet baby. 



It is Idle in the evening, 

 I lieat thy gieiit jather coming ; 

 He has travelled the abysses. 

 Curing despair tvith his sweet kisses. 

 Wiping the tears of sorrow. 

 Bringing light to the darkness. 

 Solving in its deep recess 

 The semen of /lis tenderness, 

 Giving all joy for the morrow, ' 



Joy instead of sorrow." 



" Do thou bless everyone and everything with the solicitude of thy love. Give, now 

 to-morrow, always; there is the whole of Redemption. Now I must act my thoughts and 

 leave thee. My love to thee, now and forever." 



" Good-bye, my God," said Atah, with a certain sadness, taking War's hand and raising 

 her pure white forehead to him. War took her head between his hands and krssed her with 

 passion . 



" Good-bye, Atah," and War was about to turn round, and resume his course when 

 Atah said, with the sweetest smile which ever brightened her face : 



" Oh, my beloved ! one moment more, do not leave me thus; I tliought to speak to 

 thee of " 



" Of what? " saitl War. 



" Of sympathy, of justice, of love." 



" Do so " answered War. 



